Kara Yorio

Demo Defense uses a web tutorial to walk librarians through reporting challenges and finding support, as well as to help the public donate to the organizations fighting against censorship.

The organizations leading the fight for intellectual freedom need data, money, and locally led action—big and small—from people who support the right to read and access materials.

Ahead of Banned Books Week, which begins Sunday, the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom released data on challenges from January to August of this year.

This is not the year for reflection, but a call to action. 

Samuels, the former Katy (TX) ISD student who led the student protests against censorship, talks about the fight for intellectual freedom and what Banned Books Week means to them.

In the past year, school librarians have faced coordinated, hate-filled censorship campaigns that impact available books and collection development decisions. Here, they share their stories.

Amid threats and hate-fueled protests, performers and allies remain committed to the program.

The National Center for Education Statistics study of COVID's effect revealed a significant drop in reading and math scores for 9-year-olds. Lower-performing students saw the steepest decline.

Westerberg doesn't know if being outspoken in her advocacy for educators and school libraries factored into her dismissal, but the end result is the same: more Chicago kids without a certified school librarian in their building.